Project List – How to create one and what to include

Story by Gemma Beasley / October 3, 2022

Project lists are an essential part of applying for new jobs in construction. They can make the difference between securing an interview or not and can help improve your performance in interviews because you will have real-life examples you can draw from and talk through.

Firstly – Create a separate document

Have your resume as one document and your project list as a separate one. This is better than continuing to add extra pages to your resume and will be easier for a potential employer to read and digest. In the example I send to candidates, I break it down into these six columns:

1. Employer – Include the company you were employed by when you worked on this project
2. Project/ Client name – The client whose project this was and the location. If any information needs to be kept confidential, i.e., a home address, state “Private residence”
3. Description – This does not need to be a long paragraph, as you can talk it through in more detail during an interview, but rather a brief description of the job. Estimators, you can state here if it was Lump Sum or GMP
4. Size – Dollar value and square footage (as accurate as possible)
5. Duration – How long you were on the job for, i.e., start to finish or pre-con to completion, if you came in after the foundations were in, state that and be honest
6. Role – Your role on that project. If you held more than one role, state that here. If you were one of three project managers and were responsible for the MEP trades, for example, then state that. This should be an accurate reflection of your project experience

It’s never too early (or late) to create a project list

Graduates/ entry-level – Adding each project to your list from the start of your career will save you time as you progress throughout your career and allow you to share a project list with a potential employer quickly. Add projects you worked on during internships or summer breaks, too; it will all help build a picture of your experience, even at the very start of your career.

More experienced professionals – even if you aren’t looking for a new job and have no intention of doing so anytime soon, it’s still worth putting together a project list and keeping it updated. Many of you will have had one put together for you by your current employer, and it is an excellent way to help you succeed when your team is attending client interviews by drawing on your previous experience.

Regardless of how much or little experience you have, if you add to this list every time you complete a project, you will save yourself lots of time (and stress) in the future.

How many projects should I include?

Include all job sizes and sectors, don’t leave anything out when you start. This will show versatility and breadth of experience and make it easier for you to pick out specific examples based on the company and job(s) you apply to. You can then highlight those as part of the application and interview process.

If you’d like further information on this, or to request this in a word document please send an email to gemma@hudsoncoopersearch.com and I’ll send you the template.

Categories: Career Advice

Tags: Resume advice